SARASOTA, FL (February 5, 2018) – Sarasota Mayor Shelli Freeland Eddie announced today she will hold her first-ever Digital Town Hall this Saturday to discuss how the revitalization of the 53-acre Bayfront property, currently under preplanning, will become an enlivened, cultural destination with open, public access to the Bayfront for all of Sarasota.

The Digital Town Hall will be livestreamed on Facebook Live this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and will focus on the impact the future of the bayfront will have on health and human service organizations and the Newtown community. The community is invited to participate through Facebook Live via the comments section during the livestream as to what activities, destinations, and open spaces they feel would improve the experience along The Bay. A live presentation will occur simultaneously at Light of the World International Church, 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota, FL 34234. Nonprofit organizations and local community partners who serve the Newtown community are encouraged to attend.

Mayor Freeland Eddie will be accompanied by Gina Ford from Sasaki Associates who will present the 100-year evolution of the bayfront. Following the presentation, Mayor Freeland Eddie and the team from Sasaki will take questions, comments, and feedback from the community via Facebook Live’s comments section.

Feedback from the community will help Sasaki develop options for the site, which will be presented at the next major community open house scheduled for April.

For more information and to participate in the Mayor’s Digital Town Hall, go to www.facebook.com/thebaysarasota. For press inquiries, contact Mike Marraccini at 941-914-5324 or at mcm@largeinc.com.

About Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization (SBPO)

The Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization (SBPO), a 501(c)(3) corporation, was formed in 2016, building on work completed by the Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 organization to advance the development of City-owned land along the Sarasota Bayfront. This private-public partnership is headed by a nine-person board comprised of trusted and experienced individuals with a diverse set of competencies and is privately funded by the private sector and local foundations, including The Patterson Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Selby Foundation, Barancik Foundation and Berlin Foundation. The SBPO is tasked with ensuring the delivery of a professionally prepared master plan for the sustainable development of the 53-acre Sarasota Bayfront in accordance with the Guiding Principles established by Bayfront 20:20 constituents which were subsequently adopted and approved by the City of Sarasota Commission. The SBPO will propose an operating structure that will professionally manage the Sarasota Bayfront Project during and following construction. For more information, visit www.thebaysarasota.org.